Page 103 - SAMENA Trends - Jan-Mar 2024

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Japan to Launch Flying Solar 5G Stations in 2025

Japan is developing flying solar 5G stations joint venture called Space Compass. It Rising Sun also achieved an amazing
that will fly to the stratosphere to provide will invest tens of billions of yen (10 billion Internet feat last year. In late 2023, it
wider internet coverage worldwide. These yen equals $70.2 million) in this project sent 22.9 petabits of data per second
high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) over the next 10 years. Space Compass is through a single optical fiber. That is over
will link more remote areas previously working with NTT Docomo to accelerate 20 times the amount of data the world
unreachable online. Telecom group development. Statista says there were sends per second! Global internet traffic
Softbank demonstrated its capabilities 5.3 billion internet users worldwide as of encompasses all online activities, such
by facilitating a 5G call between Japan October 2023. That accounts for 65.7% of as video streaming, online gaming, file
and Rwanda. The world is becoming more the global population. Nikkei Asia says it is downloads, web browsing, etc. Interesting
interconnected via the Internet, sharing the a next-gen solution to reach the remaining Engineering says Japan’s National Institute
benefits of online services to more people. 34.3%. Also, the recent agreement at the of Information and Communications
However, there are still spots on Earth World Radiocommunication Conference Technology (NICT) was the brains
that cannot establish wired and wireless will promote Japanese business expansion behind this innovation. The organization
connectivity. Fortunately, countries like abroad. Japan proposed frequencies that combined several technologies that utilize
Japan are developing new technologies to countries will adopt as the global standard space and wavelength in optical fiber
help us link with the rest of the world. This and will facilitate HAPS operations. communications. The website compared
article will discuss how these flying solar 5G The flying solar 5G stations will use 1.7 the process to widening roads, using
platforms function. Later, I will share other Gigahertz, 2 GHz, and 2.6 GHz, which form various lanes and traffic signals to make
ways we’re helping more people connect the core of cellular communications. The the internet faster and transmit more
to the Internet. The HAPS unmanned 700 to 900 megahertz “platinum” band will information. The researchers discovered
platforms will fly at roughly 18 to 25 km enable improved mobile services. They will each core in the fiber cable could transmit
in the stratosphere to provide sky and sea operate in Europe, Africa, the Americas, data at a speed between 0.3 to 0.7 petabits
connectivity. In October 2023, Softbank and Asia. “For Japanese companies to per second. Other internet providers
said it successfully tested 5G transmission establish a global presence, it’s effective rely on a single data-transmitting core.
from the stratosphere. It enabled a video to narrow down fields where they excel in Conversely, NICT had 38 cores in its cable.
call between 5G smartphones in Japan as well as markets and make Japanese Each can send data in three modes, totaling
and Rwanda. Nowadays, the company is technology the de facto standard through 114 spatial channels. These increase
working with the Rwandan government public and private partnerships,” said the amount of data passing through the
to launch the technology in Africa. Top Narutoshi Sakano, director of the Center fiber using independent data channels
Japanese telecom NTT and satellite for Public Policy Research at the Fujitsu across different wavelength bands. Also,
broadcaster Sky Perfect JSAT formed a Research Institute. The Land of the each mode has 750 wavelength channels
across the C, L, and S bands, resulting
in a bandwidth of 18.8 terahertz. Their
combined speed reaches 22.9 petabits per
second. Surprisingly, NICT hints they could
further optimize their connectivity, boosting
the speed from 22.9 to 24.7 petabits per
second. Interesting Engineering says this
makes NASA’s internet speed seem like a
dial-up connection in comparison. Japan
is developing flying solar 5G stations that
will launch in 2025. It will provide internet
access to areas that cannot establish cable
or Wi-Fi infrastructure. Soon, everyone can
benefit from the Internet, opening more
opportunities and improving lives. More
importantly, it will help us stay in touch
with everyone.

103 JANUARY-MARCH 2024